Cleveland Sports Forum

Lofton reflects on his many postseason experiences

Six-time All-Star appeared in 95 playoff games during his 17-year big league career

By Mark Newman / MLB.com | 10/2/2013 4:05 P.M. ET

NEW YORK --

Kenny Lofton is still a man who is constantly on the move.

The six-time All-Star was at the MLB Fan Cave on Wednesday morning to talk postseason baseball hours before his former Cleveland club took the field against Tampa Bay. The Nike Fuelband on his left wrist already showed 2,200 points, a measure of his daily activity.

"One day I had 9,002, and I had something like 18,000 steps," said Lofton, 46. "I went to the gym, got on the treadmill and ran six miles. Then I played 36 holes of golf."

To those who remember him as something of a human blur, that would seem about right. So would the sight of him during a Major League Baseball postseason. From 1995-2007, it was his stage for all but two years. He played in 95 postseason games, never winning it all, but a constant factor, and he has more autumn stories than you would have time to hear.

"During that time, whenever you'd go to a team and you're trying to bind together to get to the playoffs, it just felt good to be a part of those great teams," Lofton said, remembering Octobers past. "A lot of people don't get that opportunity. I had a lot of opportunities to do that, and I just felt like that was something I enjoy doing."

Lofton played with 11 teams, but make no mistake:

"Right now, my heart is in Cleveland."

In 1995, he helped the Indians to their first postseason since the 1954 World Series. Cleveland is still waiting for its first World Series championship since '48.

"I hope Indians fans get a championship. … That city is itching for a World Series, a championship, something," Lofton said. "But you have other teams out there doing well. Detroit, you have Pittsburgh, you have L.A. But you never know. Whoever's pitching is right, timely hitting and all that is going to factor into who's going to get the championship this year.

"We had opportunities from 1995 on, the latest was 2007, when the team had a chance to get to the World Series and it didn't work out."

What does Lofton think of this year's Tribe?

"They have great talent, you just have to put it together at the right time," he said. "That's the thing about winning the World Series -- having that momentum going on the right time, feeling like once you start the playoffs, you're on a roll and you've got to keep that momentum going. It's all about the players going out there and doing their job, and making sure that they do all that they can do to try to get that win. Hopefully Cleveland can do that."

Lofton said the 1995 World Series still sticks in his craw. The Braves won in six games, with Tom Glavine and Mark Wohlers combining for a one-hit shutout clincher. Lofton was 5-for-25 in that series, and he still points to that umpiring crew as overly respectful of the great Atlanta aces.

"I look back at that and say if they had that K Zone thing back then, the Cleveland Indians would have won the World Series that year," Lofton said. "Because the strike zone was unbelievable. It was basically not right. When I played in Atlanta in '97, I understood what other teams were going through, seeing that up-front every day, how those three pitchers -- Glavine, [Greg] Maddux and [John] Smoltz -- were getting pitches way off the plate. But that's just the way the game goes."

At the Fan Cave, Lofton was asked to answer 1995 trivia for an upcoming video. Along the way, they asked him to name the entire starting lineup of the '95 Opening Day roster. Lofton went around the horn, and then said Sandy Alomar Jr. was catcher. He was told that Tony Pena was the correct answer at that position, and Lofton's eyes lit up.

"Oh, yeah. I know why it was Pena and not Alomar," he said. "Because Dennis Martinez was the pitcher, and when he pitched, Pena caught. That's why it wasn't Alomar that day."

Oh, the memories. Giants vs. Angels, 2002 World Series, and a Game 6 meltdown for the Giants as he watched the other team celebrate.

"We were up five runs up in the seventh inning and we ended up losing. That was when the dagger was in the heart, where it didn't work out," he said. "They changed pitchers in the seventh inning, and Barry [Bonds], Reggie Sanders and I were in the outfield, and we were like, 'Man, this is actually happening.' And then all of a sudden, things just went south."

Oh, the memories. Cubs vs. Marlins, 2003 National League Championship Series, and a Game 6 meltdown for the Cubs, as he eventually watched the other team celebrate.

"The funny thing about that whole thing is, I grew up in the Chicago area, so I was always a Cubs fan," Lofton said. "For me to put on a Cubs uniform, that was very inspirational to me and my family, being Cubs fans. Then coming down to those last two games, I thought we had it in the bag. We had [our] two best [starting] pitchers [Mark Prior and Kerry Wood] on the mound, and the Marlins just did what they needed to do to get on base and score runs, and we just couldn't score."

Lofton earned his degree in TV and film production at the University of Arizona, and these days he has a film production company in L.A. called Filmpool. He said there are "promising scripts," but the challenge is independently raising required financing.

"We have an editing house as well," he said. "I'm just trying to find some investors to get some low-budget films going, and hopefully I can be a Steven Spielberg in a little bit. I'm trying."

Thinking back on his career, working with cameras was a joy of life, and something he said set him apart from other players.

"I was one of the first to bring film to Cleveland," he said. "I used to do the eight-millimeter stuff. I would take them on the road, and then everybody started doing that. Cleveland was the first place that started doing stuff on the computers. I used to have the guy film it and get all my tapes on eight-millimeter for me, to watch all the pitchers, watching all the angles of the pitchers' moves for me."

Cleveland Indians must make some more bold moves to make the playoffs again next season, including trading Asdrubal Cabrera: Terry Pluto blog

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It was the fourth inning. The Indians had the bases loaded, one out.

At bat, Asdrubal Cabrera.

A sellout crowd of 43,579 at Progressive Field waited, wondered and yes … worried about Cabrera in this spot.

Tampa Bay had a 3-0 lead in the wild-card game, the biggest game of the season for both teams.

Ryan Raburn had just drawn a walk off Alex Cobb.

The first pitch to Cabrera was a ball.

The next pitch?

Cabrera seemed a bit fooled, a bit off balance … and tapped a lame grounder to second base for an inning-ending double play.

This isn't about putting the blame of the Tribe's 4-0 season-ending loss to Tampa Bay on Cabrera.

But he is one of the team's highest-paid players at $6 million. He was an All-Star in 2011 and 2012.

And Cabrera entered Wednesday's game batting .197 with runners in scoring position.

He was 0-of-2 with runners in scoring position Wednesday.

After hitting into that double-play, he's 2-of-16 with the bases loaded.

It was such a poor at bat at such an important part of the game. Even worse, it was like so many at bats for him this season where he just seemed shaky, not sure of what type of pitch that he wanted to hit.

To be fair, high-priced free agent Michael Bourn was 0-of-4 and fanned with runners on first-and-third, no out.

Nick Swisher was 0-of-4 and left four runners on bases.

Swisher is a career .164 hitter in the playoffs. That's in 47 post-season games.

He he has only two hits in his last 53 at bats against Tampa Bay -- a stat is almost is impossible to believe.

I knew Swisher was a post-season mess when the Tribe signed him to that four-year, $56 million deal. But I also figured that if he falls apart in October, that's still good -- because it means the Indians are in the playoffs.

And that means Swisher helped them reach the post-season.

Swisher only hit .234 with runners in scoring position this season. Bourn was at .311, in case you were wondering.

Both guys are on long-term deals and they are coming back. They also are at positions of need for the Tribe, which lacks first basemen and outfielders in the farm system.

But there is something about Cabrera that has bothered me for the last two seasons.

At the age of 27, he appears to be in decline.

In the last three years, his batting average and OPS has dropped from .273 (.792 OPS) to .270 (.762 OPS) to .242 (.700 OPS).

The big fall is in homers: 25-16-14.

This is a player who should be hitting his peak. But he has battled weight problems in the past, although he seemed to be in better shape this season than the previous year.

Cabrera made only one error in his last 30 games, and had the third-best fielding average (.982) in the American League this season.

His range is below average, and his best position probably is second base -- which he played from 2007-10. He did hit five of his 14 homers in September, when the Tribe was 21-6.

I'm writing about Cabrera because I'm excited about what the Tribe accomplished this season, and how it can carry over into 2014.

The 92 victories seems all the more remarkable when you consider that the three highest paid non-pitchers -- Bourn, Swisher and Cabrera -- all had below average seasons.

Most Tribe fans know that phenom Francisco Lindor is not far from the majors. He probably will start next season at Class AA Akron, and the 19-year-old is the shortstop of the near future.

Cabrera enters the final year of his contract, for a hefty $10 million.

St. Louis was interested in him a year ago, and the Cardinals still have shortstop issues.

The Indians need to keep adding pitching, because starters Scott Kazmir and Ubaldo Jimenez may leave via free agency. The Cardinals are known for having intriguing minor league pitching prospects.

My point is the Tribe over-achieved to reach the wild-card game. General Manager Chris Antonetti has to be aggressive, just as he was a year ago.

The Tribe has Mike Aviles under contract for next season, and he has been a starting shortstop in the Majors in three different seasons. Young Jose Ramirez impressed in his September promotion, and he also is a shortstop.

The wild-card game gave Tribe fans a taste of October baseball.

It took some bold moves for them to reach this level, and it will take more for it to repeat. Trading Cabrera is one option that must be pursued.

I agree, IF you can find someone dumb enough to take him.

HUSKER: I agree, they should have traded him this year.

I don't think we can place all the blame on Cabrera. Half the hitters had opportunities to drive home runs. Tonight was a team failure from an offensive perspective just as this year was an all-around team success.

Nobody's fault. Tribe got outplayed, that's all.

Big difference in playing the Rays than the Astros, White Sox and Twins.

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With Wild Card loss, curtain falls on Indians' season

By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | 10/2/2013 11:35 PM ET

CLEVELAND --

This is not the ending the Indians had in mind for their storybook season. An improbable rise through the standings led to a rejuvenated franchise, a re-energized fan base and a raucous atmosphere at Progressive Field on Wednesday night.

It was not supposed to end with the Rays celebrating on the field in front of a stunned audience.

After six years of missing the postseason, the Indians earned the right to host the American League Wild Card Game, but the script took an unexpected turn. Rays right-hander Alex Cobb had his way with the Indians, sending the Tribe to a 4-0 loss that turned a promising fall into an early winter.

The Indians completed one of the greatest one-year turnarounds in the organization's 113-year history but wound up heading home with just a taste of their ultimate goal. The future was on display -- whether it was Danny Salazar's blessed right arm or production from youngsters Yan Gomes and Lonnie Chisenhall -- but too many missed chances cost Cleveland its chance to move on.

After the Indians went from 94 losses last season to 92 victories this year, destiny seemed to be at play, especially considering that manager Terry Francona's former Red Sox team awaits the winner for the AL Division Series.

But a postseason reunion between Francona and Boston will have to wait.

Cue the old refrain: There's always next year.

Pitching before a sea of red-clad fans waving rally towels, Salazar threw a fastball that matched the electricity of the crowd. The rookie right-hander powered a 98-mph fastball by Wil Myers for a strikeout in the first inning, and followed that by dialing it up to 99 mph for a punchout of James Loney. That ended the opening frame and had the stadium roaring with delight.

Salazar appeared in control and overpowering, but he had a formidable foe in Cobb.

Tampa Bay's right-hander used his unorthodox delivery -- lifting his front leg and holding it in the air for a moment before driving forward -- to confound Cleveland's lineup for the first few innings. The Indians finally mounted a legitimate threat in the fourth, when Carlos Santana pulled a pitch into the right-field corner and slid headfirst into second base for a one-out double.

Michael Brantley then came through with a chopper up the middle. Second baseman Ben Zobrist snared the ball with a dive, but Brantley beat the relay throw to first base by a step, and Cobb followed with a walk to Ryan Raburn to load the bases. That set the stage for a critical confrontation between Cobb and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera.

Two pitches into the at-bat, Cabrera rolled over a pitch, and the crowd let out a collective groan. Loney scooped up the grounder and snapped a throw to shortstop Yunel Escobar to initiate an inning-ending double play that quieted the ballpark.

The Tribe came up empty again in the fifth, squandering a two-on, none-out opportunity when Cobb mowed through Michael Bourn, Nick Swisher and Jason Kipnis.

In his season debut, back in April, Cobb held Cleveland off the board over 7 1/3 innings. It was long enough ago for the Indians to hope for better, but Cobb nearly matched that previous meeting with 6 2/3 shutout frames. He scattered eight hits, struck out five, induced weak contact and dodged his way through traffic all evening.

"He didn't pitch like a young pitcher," Francona said of Cobb. "We had our share of hits, and we had our share of opportunities, and when we had men on base, he was able to -- as the stadium got louder -- he could take something off, spin a breaking ball, throw a changeup in hitters' counts."

The Rays first broke through against the 23-year-old Salazar -- in Double-A Akron when this season began -- courtesy of a solo home run by Delmon Young in the third inning. No stranger to the October stage, Young deposited a first-pitch fastball into the left-field bleacher seats to open the third inning.

Tampa Bay continued its push one inning later.

In the fourth, Loney came through with a single to right field, and Evan Longoria delivered next with a base hit to left. Two batters and one mound visit later, Desmond Jennings ripped a 1-0 fastball down the left-field line, deep enough to allow both Loney and Longoria to sprint across the plate to put the Indians in a three-run hole.

Salazar needed just 20 pitches to cruise through the first two innings but was worked for 39 more between the third and fourth. When he opened the fifth with a walk to Jose Molina -- after initially having the Rays catcher in an 0-2 count -- Francona turned to his bullpen.

Salazar ended his outing with four-plus innings, three runs, four strikeouts and two walks.

"No. Didn't look like it to me," Francona said when asked if the playoff atmosphere was too much for Salazar. "He's going to be a special pitcher."

From Marc Rzepczynski to Bryan Shaw to Justin Masterson, the bullpen held up its end of the bargain. But the offense, which included an 0-for-12 showing from its Nos. 1-3 hitters, could not come through with the season on the line.

"I actually felt like because they didn't pull away, that it kept us in range and that you always feel that way," Francona said. "I'm sure they felt the same way. I thought as long as we had a chance and we kept trying to mix and match in the bullpen and keep it right where it was -- you never feel like you're out of it. Ever."

Well! I'm going to try and get some sleep tonight.

I still can't believe Francona trusted a rookie with 52 innings of experience for such a big game. He cannot get past the 4th inning very often. And there was Masterson on the bench.

Manager of the year? What a laugh.

Salazar needs to be a closer.

Salazar was the obvious and unanimous choice. If yesterday was his worst (and it was I think this year), I'll take it. Tito wanted 5 strong innings. His pitch count is high, and closely monitored, because of the stikeouts. He is 2 yrs removed from Tommy John. He has a chance to be an ace. He definitely needs to mature. Balls that were hit were up in the zone. Way, way, way too much potential to put him in the bullpen at this point in his career.

Salazar certainly started out great, and his skill level diminished gradually thereafter. Either that means he should be a late inning reliever, or he needs to work more on pacing himself as a starter. Lots of talent for Callaway [is that the right name?] to develop.

Nothing wrong with Salazar.

He actually made a pretty good pitch to Young....up and in fastball that Young guessed right on and got the barrel out. He was much less agressive the second time through the lineup. Gomes was looking in the dugout second time through and it looks like the dugout was calling pitches.

If he has the mental toughness, Salazar will be a top of the rotation guy for a while.

Tribe bats....now that's another question.

Certainly, in a key situation, Salazar got beat on a secondary pitch because there was no way that guy should have been able to pull that ball down the line on a fastball.

"Skill level diminished?" Thats interesting?? He has 3 out pitches. Two of them dominant. He gave up 6 baserunners in 4 innings! He doesn't walk people, which is very common in young power pitchers. He has great mound presence! He has great mechanics! IMO he is miles ahead of Jaret Wright at the same stage.

He will benefit from these 60 innings going into next year. He would have been a top three prospect in all of baseball but I believe he surpassed his maximum innings allowed.

He gave up 4 hits with one of them a 600 ft bomb and the others were ground balls. His only problem was location which improves with experience.

Look at Randy Johnsons first 150 innings. Look at Pedro Martinez first 150 innings. He is very similar, at the same stage, as Strasburg. Power pitchers take longer to develop and he is ahead of schedule.

All reasons why I chose Salazar as my breakout pitcher two years ago. At that time he was throwing 92-95 in Panama winter ball just AFTER having Tommy John surgery. That's why he was pitching in Panama. In addition to the fastball, that slider and changeup of his will be two additional plus pitches.

Danny has talent. No doubt about it. It's still early in his career but I can't help but think of comparisons between he and Aroldis Chapman. The two are very similar, the only difference being one is a righty and the other a southpaw. In my opinion, Salazar can be an ACE on this staff but I also think he would be one of the best closers in baseball.

At this moment in time, I would have him in the starting rotation. I would consider moving him to the bullpen only if he continues to have problems getting in 6 quality innings or if the Indians can come up with another solid starter this winter and the pitcher I have in mind is Masahiro Tanaka.